Hip adjustment mechanism and wearable power-assisted exoskeleton thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a hip adjusting mechanism and a wearable power-assisted exoskeleton thereof, which comprises a shell, left and right adjusting mechanisms and up and down adjusting mechanisms arranged in the shell, the left and right adjusting mechanisms comprising a power motor, left and right screw rods connected to two output ends of the power motor, and ends of the left and right screw rods being respectively engaged with inner threads of left and right swing arm pipes; the up and down adjusting mechanisms comprising a control motor and drive rods arranged at two ends of the control motor, ends of the two drive rods being connected with gears, and the two gears being respectively engaged with tooth shapes formed on the left and right swing arm pipes. The application has the advantages of simple structure, automatic adjustment of the up and down positions according to the hip width of the human body through the power-assisted exoskeleton hip adjusting mechanism, automatic adjustment of the left and right hip widths to adapt to different people, manual adjustment of the up and down positions, special suitability for the old or the disabled, simple operation, and ideal power-assisted effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bionic human-machine integration technology, specifically a hip adjustment mechanism and its wearable assistive exoskeleton. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, aging is becoming a prominent issue globally, with increasing social resources being invested in services for the elderly. Beyond companionship and guidance, how to leverage existing technology to enable the elderly to achieve self-care has become an important social challenge. Simultaneously, in daily life, intelligent assistive devices are needed to help individuals with leg injuries or disabilities engage in daily rehabilitation training, facilitating rapid recovery of physical function. For those engaged in heavy physical labor, external assistive bionic machines are also needed to help alleviate strenuous physical labor and reduce muscle damage caused by such work.

[0003] Wearable assistive exoskeletons are wearable assistive devices with external driving force that can move the human torso, limbs, and hips. They are human-machine integrated systems that integrate advanced technologies such as modern mechanics, sensing, and intelligent algorithms, enabling the wearer to assist the human body in completing certain movements. Existing assistive exoskeletons usually have non-adjustable width, which cannot achieve the ideal assistive effect for people with different hip widths. Some manually adjustable assistive exoskeletons are cumbersome to adjust, especially for the elderly or disabled people who often cannot adjust them to the ideal hip position themselves. This results in problems such as the assistive exoskeleton being too loose and having no obvious assistive effect, or too tight and affecting comfort.

[0004] The hip adjustment mechanism of the assistive exoskeleton provided by this invention can automatically adjust according to the width of the human hip and can also be manually adjusted up and down. It has a simple structure and can avoid problems such as poor assistive effect caused by improper wearing of the assistive exoskeleton, making it more convenient for disabled people and elderly people with limited mobility to use. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hip adjustment mechanism and a wearable assistive exoskeleton thereof to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a hip adjustment mechanism for a wearable assistive exoskeleton, comprising a housing, and a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-down adjustment mechanism disposed within the housing. The left-right adjustment mechanism comprises a power motor, a left screw and a right screw connected to the two output ends of the power motor, and the ends of the left screw and the right screw respectively engaging with the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes.

[0007] The up-down adjustment mechanism includes a control motor and drive rods located at both ends of the control motor. The ends of the two drive rods are connected to gears, and the two gears mesh with the teeth formed on the left and right swing arm tubes respectively. The side wall of the housing is equipped with hand-tightened nuts for locking and fixing the left and right swing arm tubes.

[0008] As a further aspect of the present invention: an external threaded sleeve is installed on the side wall of the housing, and multiple longitudinal cuts are made on the outer circumferential surface of the external threaded sleeve. A hand-tightening nut is threaded on the surface of the external threaded sleeve. When the hand-tightening nut is tightened, the left or right swing arm tube can be fixed to the housing.

[0009] As a further aspect of the present invention: a fixed bracket is installed in the inner cavity of the housing to fix the positions of the control motor and the power motor.

[0010] As a further embodiment of the present invention: it includes a back control unit, a swing arm tube device, a power module unit, a leg swing arm unit, and leg straps. The swing arm tube device includes a left swing arm tube and a right swing arm tube. The two side walls of the back control unit are respectively connected to the left swing arm tube and the right swing arm tube. The ends of the left swing arm tube and the right swing arm tube are both connected to the power module unit. The power module unit is connected to the leg swing arm unit, and the surface of the leg swing arm unit is provided with two leg straps.

[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: the back control unit includes a housing, a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-up adjustment mechanism disposed within the housing, and a back pressure sensor is mounted on the surface of the housing.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the power module unit includes a left power module and a right power module, the left power module and the right power module are respectively connected to the left swing arm tube and the right swing arm tube, a left pressure sensor is installed on the side of the left power module, and a right pressure sensor is installed on the side of the right power module.

[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention: both the left power module and the right power module are equipped with an up adjustment button, a down adjustment button, and a width adjustment button on their surfaces.

[0014] As a further aspect of the present invention: the leg swing arm unit includes a left leg swing arm and a right leg swing arm, the left leg swing arm is connected to a left power module, the right leg swing arm is connected to a right power module, and leg straps are provided on the surface of both the left and right leg swing arms.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: the hip adjustment mechanism of the assisted exoskeleton can automatically adjust the vertical position of the hip power module unit according to the width of the human hip and can also be manually adjusted, so that the width of the left and right hips can be automatically adjusted to suit different people, and the vertical position can also be manually adjusted. It is especially suitable for the elderly or disabled people, and has the advantages of simple operation and ideal assistive effect.

[0016] 1. The left and right screws are driven to rotate by a power motor. The screw threads turn in opposite directions and mesh with the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes. The motor is in a locked state. At this time, the drive rod and gear are fixed. The external teeth of the left and right swing arm tubes are restricted by the gears. The left and right swing arm tubes can only move along their own axial direction, so as to achieve the effect of synchronous extension or retraction of the left and right swing arm tubes. This further improves the convenience of hip width adjustment and makes it suitable for more different people.

[0017] 2. By controlling the motor, the drive rod can drive the gear to rotate synchronously. Since the power motor is in the off state, the left and right swing arm tubes can rotate freely. When the gear rotates, it will also drive the left and right swing arm tubes that mesh with it to rotate synchronously. When the left and right swing arm tubes rotate, the hip power module unit connected to them will also be adjusted up and down synchronously, which makes it more convenient for disabled people and elderly people with limited mobility to use. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hip adjustment mechanism of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a partially exploded schematic diagram of the hip adjustment mechanism of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the manual fixing of the swing arm and the housing according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wearable assistive exoskeleton of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the wearable assistive exoskeleton and its associated waist strap structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the wearable assistive exoskeleton of the present invention worn on the human body;

[0024] In the diagram: 1. Back control unit; 100. Back pressure sensor; 101. Housing; 101a. External threaded sleeve; 102. Control motor; 103. Drive rod; 104. Gear; 105. Power motor; 106. Left screw; 107. Right screw; 108. Left swing arm tube; 109. Right swing arm tube; 110. Hand-tightening nut; 121. Upper adjustment button; 122. Lower adjustment button; 123. Width adjustment button; 200. Left pressure sensor; 300. Right pressure sensor; 301. Movable buckle; 401. Left power module; 402. Right power module; 501. Left leg swing arm; 502. Right leg swing arm; 2. Swing arm tube assembly; 3. Power module unit; 4. Leg swing arm unit; 5. Leg strap. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] Please see Figure 1-6 In this embodiment of the invention, a hip adjustment mechanism for a wearable assistive exoskeleton includes a housing 101, and a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-down adjustment mechanism disposed within the housing 101. The left-right adjustment mechanism includes a power motor 105, specifically a dual-axis servo control motor. A left screw 106 and a right screw 107 are connected to the two output ends of the power motor 105. The ends of the two output ends of the power motor 105 are pressed into the inner holes of the left and right screws 106 and 107, and fixed by interference fit. The left screw 106 and the right screw 107 have opposite rotation directions. The left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 are machined with internal threads. The ends of the left screw 106 and the right screw 107 respectively mesh with the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109. The left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 are connected to the left and right power modules 401 and 402.

[0027] The up-down adjustment mechanism includes a control motor 102 and drive rods 103 located at both ends of the control motor 102. The ends of the two drive rods 103 are connected to gears 104. The two gears 104 mesh with the teeth formed on the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, respectively. The drive rods 103 and gears 104 are fixed together by set screws. The left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 can move left and right relative to the gears 104. The side wall of the housing 101 is equipped with a hand-tightening nut 110 for locking and fixing the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109. The power module unit 3 cable is connected to the controller in the back control unit 1 through the inner holes of the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 and the left and right screws 106 and 107 in the back control unit 1 (there are also other devices known in the prior art, whose illustrations and descriptions are omitted).

[0028] Specifically, when the back pressure sensor 100 installed on the housing 101 of the back control unit 1 comes into contact with the back of the human body, the internal controller and motor of the back control unit 1 enter a controllable state; the back pressure sensor 100 and the left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 are all mechanical, and the external pressure value is detected by pressing the sensor.

[0029] If the left and right power modules 401 and 402 are not positioned correctly when wearing the power exoskeleton, their vertical position can be manually adjusted. When the up adjustment button 121 or the down adjustment button 122 is pressed, the control motor 102 rotates, driving the gears 104 on the drive rods 103 on both sides of the control motor 102. These gears 104 mesh with the teeth on the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, respectively, causing the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 to move up or down a certain distance.

[0030] The automatic left-right adjustment of the hip is achieved by using left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 installed in the left and right power modules 401 and 402, which are in contact with the human body. The pressure changes drive the power motor 105 to move the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, and the power module unit 3 connected to the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, so as to automatically adjust the width of the assistive exoskeleton to the distance between the hip and the human body. The specific steps are as follows: When the automatic hip width adjustment button 123 on the right power module 402 is pressed, the back control unit 1 controls the power motor 105 to drive the left and right screws 106 and 107. 7. Rotation: The threads of the left and right screws 106 and 107 rotate in opposite directions, engaging with the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, thereby driving the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 to move inward toward the hip. When the external left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 of the left power module 401 and right power module 402 come into contact with the human hip, the control motor 105 continues to rotate, driving the left power module 401 and right power module 402 to continue moving toward the human hip, and the pressure of the left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 continues to rise. In this invention, the pressure collected by everyday wearable devices... Data analysis shows that when the pressure from the left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 reaches 5N or higher, the control motor 105 stops and rotates in the opposite direction, causing the left power module 401 and right power module 402 to move away from the hip. When the pressure from the left and right pressure sensors 200 and 300 reaches 0N or lower, the control motor 105 stops working. At this point, the positions of the left power module 401 and right power module 402 with the hip are automatically adjusted. If, when wearing the assistive exoskeleton, the left power module 401 and right power module 402 feel unresponsive, this indicates a problem. The up and down position of the power module unit 3 can be manually adjusted so that the left power module 401 and the right power module 402 can be adjusted up and down simultaneously. At this time, the control motor 105 is in the power off state, and the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 can rotate freely. When the up and down adjustment buttons 121 and 122 are pressed, the control motor 102 rotates and drives the two gears 104 on the left and right drive rods 103 of the motor. The two gears 104 mesh with the toothed teeth on the outside of the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 respectively, causing the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 to move up or down a certain distance at the same time.

[0031] The hip height adjustment is achieved by rotating the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 by a certain angle using the teeth on them, thereby adjusting the vertical position of the power module unit 3 of the assistive exoskeleton. The teeth machined on the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 can move left and right relative to the meshing gear 104. When the control motor 102 is locked, the meshing gear 104 for height adjustment is in a fixed position, thus keeping the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 in a fixed position. The specific steps are as follows: When adjusting the height of the power module unit 3, since the power motor 105 is in the off state, the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 can rotate freely. At the same time, because the left and right screws 106 and 107 and the left... The internal threads of the right swing arm tubes 108 and 109 are engaged. If the adjustment of the left and right hip width is performed before the adjustment of the power module unit 3, the left and right hip width will change slightly. In this invention, according to the analysis of human wear data, when the power module unit 3 is adjusted up and down by 50mm, it basically meets the needs of 95% of users. By calculating the pitch of the left and right screws 106 and 107 and the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109, under ideal conditions, when the power module unit 3 is adjusted up and down by 50mm, the left power module 401 and the right power module 402 move by about 5mm respectively, which has little impact on the left and right hip width and does not affect the wearing comfort.

[0032] When adjusting the left and right hip width, the control motor 102 is in the energized and locked state, at which time the drive rod 103 and gear 104 are in a fixed state. When the power motor 105 moves... Figure 2 When rotating in the direction of the arrow, since gear 104 is in a fixed state, the external teeth of the right swing arm tube 109 are restricted by gear 104 and can only move along the axial direction of the right swing arm tube 109, thereby achieving the purpose of changing the position of the power module unit 3.

[0033] Please see Figure 3 In one embodiment, preferably, the side wall of the housing 101 is fitted with an external threaded sleeve 101a, and the outer circumferential surface of the external threaded sleeve 101a has multiple longitudinal cuts. The surface of the external threaded sleeve 101a is threaded with a hand-tightening nut 110. When the hand-tightening nut 110 is tightened, the left swing arm tube 108 or the right swing arm tube 109 can be fixed to the housing 101.

[0034] Specifically, when the hand-tightening nut 110 is tightened, it is completely fitted onto the external threaded sleeve 101a. At this time, the external threaded sleeve 101a, which is cut by multiple longitudinal slits, will be squeezed by the hand-tightening nut 110, thereby tightening and fixing the inner wall of the external threaded sleeve 101a to the right swing arm tube 109, which can fix the right swing arm tube 109 to the back shell 101. In this invention, when adjusting the left and right hip width and the up and down adjustment of the power module unit 3, it is necessary to loosen the left and right hand-tightening nuts 110 on the left and right swing arm tubes 108 and 109. If the adjustment is performed without loosening them, the system will automatically give a voice prompt to the user to loosen the left and right hand-tightening nuts 110.

[0035] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment, in order to fix the positions of the control motor 102 and the power motor 105, preferably, a fixing bracket 111 for fixing the positions of the control motor 102 and the power motor 105 is installed in the inner cavity of the housing 101. First, the position of the fixing bracket 111 is fixed in the inner cavity of the housing 101, and then the control motor 102 and the power motor 105 are fixed in the fixing bracket 111. At this time, the fixing bracket 111 can not only support the positions of the control motor 102 and the power motor 105, but also provide a certain degree of protection for the control motor 102 and the power motor 105.

[0036] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 In one embodiment, preferably, a wearable power-assisted exoskeleton includes a hip adjustment mechanism, a back control unit 1, an arm swing tube device 2, a power module unit 3, a leg swing arm unit 4, and leg straps 5. The arm swing tube device 2 includes a left arm swing tube 108 and a right arm swing tube 109. The two sidewalls of the back control unit 1 are respectively connected to the left arm swing tube 108 and the right arm swing tube 109. The ends of the left arm swing tube 108 and the right arm swing tube 109 are both connected to the power module unit 3. 3 is connected to the leg swing arm unit 4, and the surface of the leg swing arm unit 4 is provided with two leg straps 5. A wearable waist strap B is installed on the wearable assistive exoskeleton A, and a movable buckle 301 is installed at the front to fix the wearable assistive exoskeleton A to the waist of the human body C. The wearable assistive exoskeleton A and the auxiliary waist strap B are worn on the human body C. The surfaces of the left power module 401 and the right power module 402 are both equipped with an upper adjustment button 121, a lower adjustment button 122 and a width adjustment button 123 for easy operation by the wearer.

[0037] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 6In one embodiment, preferably, the back control unit 1 includes a housing 101, a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-up adjustment mechanism disposed within the housing 101, and a back pressure sensor 100 is mounted on the surface of the housing 101. When the back pressure sensor 100 is subjected to a certain amount of pressure, it indicates that the human body C has completed the wearing of the exoskeleton.

[0038] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 4 In one embodiment, preferably, the power module unit 3 includes a left power module 401 and a right power module 402, which are respectively connected to the left swing arm tube 108 and the right swing arm tube 109. A left pressure sensor 200 is installed on the side of the left power module 401, and a right pressure sensor 300 is installed on the side of the right power module 402.

[0039] Please see Figure 6 In one embodiment, preferably, the surfaces of the left power module 401 and the right power module 402 are each equipped with an upper adjustment button 121, a lower adjustment button 122, and a width adjustment button 123. The upper adjustment button 121, the lower adjustment button 122, and the width adjustment button 123 are all electrically connected to the controller in the rear control unit 1 (the connection relationship and control logic between the upper adjustment button 121, the lower adjustment button 122, the width adjustment button 123 and the rear control unit 1 are all existing technologies and are well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here).

[0040] Please see Figure 4 In one embodiment, in order to provide assistance to the human leg, preferably, the leg swing arm unit 4 includes a left leg swing arm 501 and a right leg swing arm 502. The left leg swing arm 501 is connected to the left power module 401, and the right leg swing arm 502 is connected to the right power module 402. Both the left leg swing arm 501 and the right leg swing arm 502 are provided with leg straps 5.

[0041] Although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0042] Therefore, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application; that is, all equivalent modifications made in accordance with the scope of the claims of this application shall be within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A hip adjustment mechanism for a wearable power exoskeleton, comprising a housing (101), and a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-down adjustment mechanism disposed within the housing (101), characterized in that, The left and right adjustment mechanism includes a power motor (105), a left screw (106) and a right screw (107) connected to the two output ends of the power motor (105), and the ends of the left screw (106) and the right screw (107) respectively mesh with the internal threads of the left and right swing arm tubes (108, 109). The up-down adjustment mechanism includes a control motor (102) and drive rods (103) located at both ends of the control motor (102). The ends of the two drive rods (103) are connected to gears (104). The two gears (104) mesh with the teeth formed on the left and right swing arm tubes (108, 109), respectively. The side wall of the housing (101) is equipped with a hand-tightening nut (110) for locking and fixing the left and right swing arm tubes (108, 109). The side wall of the housing (101) is equipped with an external threaded sleeve (101a), and the outer circumferential surface of the external threaded sleeve (101a) has multiple longitudinal cuts. The surface of the external threaded sleeve (101a) is threaded with a hand-tightening nut (110). When the hand-tightening nut (110) is tightened, the left swing arm tube (108) or the right swing arm tube (109) can be fixed on the housing (101). The power motor (105) is configured to automatically drive the left screw (106) and the right screw (107) to rotate in response to pressure signals detected by the left pressure sensor (200) located on the side of the left power module (401) and the right pressure sensor (300) located on the side of the right power module (402), so as to move the left and right swing arm tubes (108, 109) to the appropriate position that contacts the human hip.

2. The hip adjustment mechanism of the wearable power exoskeleton according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (101) is equipped with a fixed bracket (111) for fixing the positions of the control motor (102) and the power motor (105).

3. A wearable assistive exoskeleton, comprising a hip adjustment mechanism according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, The device includes a back control unit (1), a swing arm tube device (2), a power module unit (3), a leg swing arm unit (4), and leg straps (5). The swing arm tube device (2) includes a left swing arm tube (108) and a right swing arm tube (109). The two side walls of the back control unit (1) are connected to the left swing arm tube (108) and the right swing arm tube (109) respectively. The ends of the left swing arm tube (108) and the right swing arm tube (109) are connected to the power module unit (3). The power module unit (3) is connected to the leg swing arm unit (4), and the surface of the leg swing arm unit (4) is provided with two leg straps (5).

4. The wearable assistive exoskeleton according to claim 3, characterized in that, The back control unit (1) includes a housing (101), a left-right adjustment mechanism and a right-up adjustment mechanism disposed in the housing (101), and a back pressure sensor (100) is installed on the surface of the housing (101).

5. The wearable assistive exoskeleton according to claim 3, characterized in that, The power module unit (3) includes a left power module (401) and a right power module (402). The left power module (401) and the right power module (402) are connected to the left swing arm tube (108) and the right swing arm tube (109) respectively. A left pressure sensor (200) is installed on the side of the left power module (401), and a right pressure sensor (300) is installed on the side of the right power module (402).

6. The wearable assistive exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that, The surfaces of the left power module (401) and the right power module (402) are each equipped with an upper adjustment button (121), a lower adjustment button (122), and a width adjustment button (123).

7. The wearable assistive exoskeleton according to claim 5, characterized in that, The leg swing arm unit (4) includes a left leg swing arm (501) and a right leg swing arm (502). The left leg swing arm (501) is connected to the left power module (401), and the right leg swing arm (502) is connected to the right power module (402). Both the left leg swing arm (501) and the right leg swing arm (502) are provided with leg straps (5).

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